


Lights, Camera, Action

by shipsandglitter



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Actress!Nini and Actress!Gina, Alternate Universe, Angst, Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, LGBT Themes, Love, Mutual Pining, On-screen romance, Romance, See Summary for trigger warnings!!, Set predominantly in L.A., When I say slowburn I MEAN slowburn kids, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21965023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsandglitter/pseuds/shipsandglitter
Summary: Nini Salazar-Roberts and Gina Porter are two rival actors that always seem to find themselves competing for the same roles. On a hot July day like any other, they discover that their agents have landed them both supporting roles in an L.A. based action movie, but instead of competing for the same role, they now find themselves playing each other's love interests. With a shared past they're both trying to grow from, things get a little complicated when feelings enter the mix.Hey, it's only 6 months. Right?[TW: mentions and depictions of alcoholism, neglectful parents, fighting between parents, thoughts associated with anxiety. Trigger warnings will be mentioned before each chapter, you can PM me on tumblr (catpybara) if you have any specific concerns.]
Relationships: Big Red/Ricky Bowen (background), Carlos/Seb Matthew-Smith (background), Gina Porter/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 13
Kudos: 36





	1. A One-Way Ticket (prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So as you may have noticed this is a rewrite of my tyrus chaptered fic 'Lights, Camera, Action' except with Gina and Nini from HSMTMTS. I love LCA to death and I fully intend on finishing the final 4 chapters within the original - if anything, this will give me more motivation to do so with characters I'm more invested in at the moment. This won't be exactly the same, and you may notice various aspects of different plotlines will be altered and adjusted to suit the new characters. Chapters may be added and scenes may be deleted and rewritten, so the pacing may be altered as a result. All the chapters will be edited to (hopefully) make them flow better. The premise and the overarching story will however remain the same. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the prologue! 
> 
> Relevant TW's for this chapter: mentions of alcoholism and neglectful parents

_July 10th, 2014_

An eerie silence filled Nini’s street. It filled her house too, and her room. It was almost as though something _wanted_ her to be left entirely alone with her thoughts. 

Her footfalls, low and purposeful, sounded against the creaking wooden floorboards of her hallway. Her living room was in disarray, as if a raging storm had swept by and misplaced ornaments from their stands, books from their shelves, and dust from where it had gathered in varying crevices. The smell of bitter whiskey flooded her senses, and despite the number of times she’d been exposed to it, she couldn’t help a wince. 

There was her mom amongst the chaos, passed out, her curly blonde hair shielding her face from view. 

Nini swallowed hard before continuing on like she knew he had to, approaching her mom cautiously. Her throat felt tight all of a sudden, and despite how miserable the past few years had been she wanted nothing more than to throw all of her plans out the window and stay.

It was her birthday that day. Her eighteenth. She’d waited all day to see if her mom would realise it, but the words she wanted never came, and she stopped hoping for them. Nini knew she cared deep down, but she also knew that staying in this place was one of the worst things she could possibly do for herself, so she forced her eyes shut and took in a deep breath, leaning down to press a feather-light kiss to her mom’s hair. 

She’d said goodbye last night. Her mom had cried until tears couldn’t fall anymore, and all that was left were dry, heaving sobs that filled her house until she eventually passed out.

Nini let out a shaky exhale as she made her way towards the kitchen, feeling around in the darkness for a marker of some kind. She found one in the bottom drawer, and she fumblingly popped the lid off before writing a note to place beside the last grocery haul she’d ever collect in that place, telling her mom to use it for dinner that night. 

Shadows danced around the corners of her house, barely kept at bay by the dim lamps she’d turned on only hours prior. Adrenaline began to surge through her veins as she walked back into her room. 

Amongst the darkness, her pale bed covers looked a deep blue, like an ocean at nighttime. She grazed her fingertips along the cool surface of her desk as she approached the suitcase that lay in the centre of it all. It looked imposing there; bright red in comparison to the faded blues that filled her room, and for a moment she just stared.

These were all the things she’d be taking from this place. 

Sadness crashed down over her all at once, like a wave she couldn’t escape, and without flicking on the lights she moved forward and grabbed onto the handle of her suitcase. Her shuddering breaths and hurried footsteps cut through the silence as she entered the living room again. 

Her room was filled to the brim with memories she’d rather forget after all, and lingering there any longer wouldn’t make this any less hard. 

The front door creaked slightly upon opening, and shadows shrank away from the light as it poured out onto the porch. A pleasant evening breeze gusted by her, blowing up her coat as she approached the small car that was parked right by her driveway.

Nini paused where her front garden met the pavement, observing the dying grass, before swallowing down the lump in her throat and pressing on. 

She opened the back car door, offering her friends an apologetic smile as she offloaded her suitcase into the back seat. 

“Mind if I make a call before we go?” she asked. 

“Go ahead,” said Kourtney, nodding, and seeing the way her fingers drummed against the steering wheel, clearly out of nervousness, was almost enough to send Nini’s emotions tumbling over the edge. 

Kourtney was hardly everfearful in anything she did, and the reality of what they were doing hit her like a pile of bricks as she closed the car door again, shakily pulling her phone from her pocket and scrolling down through her contacts.

Stars burned amongst the pitch-black sky, and another gusting onset of wind had Nini shivering as she held the receiver to her ear. 

_One ring._

_Two rings._

_Three rings._

Then—

“Hello?” 

She let out a sigh of relief. 

“Ricky,” she managed, realising she had barely rehearsed what he wanted to tell the boy. His voice was heavy with sleep, but somehow clouded with confusion too. 

“Why are you calling me?” 

Nini let out a breath. She probably deserved that.

“I um...I just thought I’d let you know that I’m leaving town.” 

A pause. Then—

“Where to?” 

“L.A.,” she answered, voice somewhat sheepish now. Saying it aloud made their plans seem almost painfully cliche. 

Ricky didn’t seem surprised. Nini supposed he probably could’ve seen it coming. 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, then.”

“Me too,” Nini answered, huffing a laugh.

She directed her gaze up to the night sky, then to the car parked beside her, thinking up a way she could communicate what she wanted to. She’d like to think she was a relatively expressive person, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the words just didn’t come. 

She heard a heavy sigh on the other end, crackling slightly due to the lack of signal.

“Nini, why are you really calling?” 

She brought a hand up to her hair then, running her shaky fingers through it. She turned away from the car, as though that would somehow prevent the call from reaching Kourtney or Seb. 

“I...I guess I just...things got really messed up between us. And I know I didn’t hear you out as much as I should’ve. And...I know we don’t exactly talk anymore, and I don’t even really know if this means anything now, but...I’m sorry.” 

She heard a shuddering intake of breath on the other end, and her heart sank.

“Nini, it’s okay. I should be the one apologising, I, uh...I kinda freaked out on you,” he paused for a moment. “Neither of us were ready, I guess. But...focus on L.A., okay? Find someone nice. I’ll be fine.” 

Nini felt relief flood her system at those words. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and looked up towards the sky again, letting out a breath.

“Thanks, Ricky. I would say it’s been fun, but...”

He laughed slightly. “It hasn’t?” 

“Yeah,” she breathed out, a smile tugging at her lips, “I mean...the first part was fine, but...”

Ricky’s voice sounded amused when he spoke again, and the sound had Nini’s smile widening ever so slightly. She really _did_ love him, in every way except the way in which it counted.

“Bye, Nini.” 

“Bye, Ricky.” 

Then, there was silence. 

Nini glanced around at her surroundings one last time, double-taking when she saw a distant figure standing right where the darkness seemed to obscure everything from view. She knew who it was — of course she did. The cigarette that was tossed to the ground, burning orange, was evidence enough. She just didn’t exactly know what Gina Porter was doing out alone at this time of night, watching someone she’d hardly, if ever, spoken to throughout their time at school together.

She turned away and walked around to the side of the car, pulling open the back door and settling in beside her suitcase.

“Ready?” Kourtney asked, smiling at her through the rear-view mirror.

“Ready,” she confirmed, and soon enough they were driving away from the small town they’d called home all these years, swallowed up by the night’s darkness.

As they passed the park that sat right by the edge of town, a bitter taste filled her mouth. 

Her love confession to Ricky had taken place amongst that rusted play equipment. Then, soon after, her first heartbreak had occurred there too. 

She tried to rid himself of these thoughts, however — she had to look ahead now. 

There were opportunities in L.A. for all of them, after all. Kourtney, who wanted to study cosmetology, then her and Seb, who’d been accepted to the same school of drama on the outskirts of the city. 

After speaking with her lola, she’d agreed to rent out a small apartment near her school for the three of them. Nini barely spoke to either of her moms, but her lola had been there for her when no one else had. They’d both known deep down that Nini would want to escape one day, and she hadn’t been overly surprised when she’d come to her with the request. 

Nini looked absent-mindedly towards the driver’s seat then, where Kourtney’s fingers were still drumming away at the steering wheel, and she couldn’t help but let out a sigh. She knew change was something that’d always frightened her, even if she never admitted to it.

Nini supposed though that everyone had a fear they kept concealed from other people at all costs, so she never asked about it. After years of feeling like her life was one big roller coaster she couldn’t control, Nini Roberts’ biggest fear happened to be falling. 

It almost seemed ironic that the very thing she was doing at that moment was plunging herself right into the unknown.


	2. Love Interests

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gina recieves some news from her agent. She has a call with Ricky, and a conversation with Carlos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 let's go!! 
> 
> Relevant trigger warnings: mentions of alcohol, cigarettes

_July 10th, 2019_

The unforgiving summer sun beamed down on Gina as she walked, burning against the clear blue sky. Everything seemed to travel by in a haze, and vaguely, her fuzzy brain was able to conjure up the thought that she _really wouldn't_ mind going into hibernation for the next few days to avoid the heat. It was only a few degrees higher than normal, but to a town of people who had become accustomed to temperate conditions this was practically the end of the world. 

She pulled at the neck of her shirt as she approached the single-story building, large windows allowing the afternoon sunlight to pour inside. Two glass doors parted as she walked forward, allowing her inside.

White tiles spanned the main lobby, and various fake potted plants were pushed up into corners, bright greens standing out amongst the otherwise sterile-looking space. 

A glance down at her watch confirmed she was about five minutes or so early, so she wasn’t in a hurry as she approached her usual meeting room, marked by the number 2, and knocked. 

“Come in!” 

Gina pushed the door open, a confident smile on her lips as she closed it behind her again with a thud and took the seat opposite her agent. The small office was sparsely decorated as always, and a spotless black desk separated the pair as Mrs Banks (or Julia, as Gina had taken to calling her) straightened out a stack of papers. 

She levelled her with a look, one that Gina knew almost immediately had no intended heat behind it. A fan was on full-blast in the corner of the room, directing cool air towards the wall, and Gina couldn’t help but let her gaze travel down to the shirt Julia was wearing. 

“That looks kind of casual for you,” she said playfully, nodding her head toward it. 

“Apologies,” came the amused response, “but I know my limits and there’s no way in hell I’m wearing a long-sleeved dress on a day like this.“

Gina leaned back against his seat at that, crossing one leg over the other. Julia seemed particularly enthusiastic during her phone call yesterday, which was rare given her affinity for sarcasm. She was almost as fluent in sarcasm as she was in negotiating talk, and her unparalleled ability to put on an act sometimes had Gina wondering whether she should quit her agent work and audition for the next Hollywood blockbuster. 

“So what’s the big news?” she asked, cutting to the chase, “and _why_ couldn't it have waited until walking outside _isn’t_ the equivalent of walking into a fire?” 

Julia set her papers down on the desk, professional demeanour falling almost instantly into place. She pressed a button on the remote sat beside her on the desk, and Gina’s eyebrows shot up as the blinds behind them lowered down with a slight rumble, blocking the light outside from entering. 

“Since when is that a thing?” she asked.

“Since I had it installed yesterday,” Julia said simply, “but that doesn’t matter. I have to warn you about this news, Gina, because I’m not interested in being murdered today.” 

Gina blinked at her for a moment, not exactly expecting those words. What could possibly be such a big deal that she’d want to resort to murder? Her eyes darted from Julia to the papers that were piled up in front of her, the beginnings of an amused smile threatening to appear on her face. 

“Is this about a role?” 

Julia nodded, and Gina’s mind began reeling with a whole array of different things Julia could be moments away from telling her.

“Promise you won’t faint when I tell you? If I had to drive to a hospital I would but I really don’t want to.”

Gina couldn’t help the smile playing at her lips.

“Just tell me,” she groaned, “I’ll try not to do anything drastic.” 

Julia nodded, an eyebrow raised slightly. 

“Okay, then. I’ve managed to land you a pretty big role, being the best agent in the world and all that. No auditioning required. Decent pay. It’s an action movie that’s being shot in L.A. called ‘Down to Ashes.’”

Gina’s mouth very nearly fell open at those words. It was relatively rare for her to get a part she didn’t have to audition for, but to get a part like that in what seemed to be a relatively big production? A slow smile began to spread across her face. She had no idea how that could be bad news in any universe.

“Are you kidding me? That’s great! Why would I wanna murder you over that?” 

It was Julia’s turn to smile now, and Gina felt her stomach drop ever so slightly as she looked back at her.

“There’s a catch,” said Julia, clearly eager to drag things out as much as possible, and Gina let out an exasperated sigh. 

“What kind of a catch?” 

Neither of them spoke for a moment after that. Gina wracked her brain, thinking up possible explanations, and the realisation that must’ve swept over her face had Julia laughing to herself. 

“I swear, if this has _anything_ whatsoever to do with Nini Roberts, then _so_ help me.“

Julia’s smile quickly turned into a grin. She knew Gina’s frustrations towards the other actress very well, and that fact in itself had an uneasy pit forming in her stomach. Gina couldn’t fathom why Julia was drawing this out so much when she was usually very up-front. 

She narrowed her eyes sceptically, folding her arms tightly over his chest. “Tell me. Right now.”

Finally, Julia gave in with a short laugh. “Gina. You’re not competing for the same role as each other this time.” 

_What the hell was that supposed to mean?_

“So she’s not auditioning, then?” 

“No, that’s not what I...” she paused for a moment, shaking her head. “You two are playing the main supporting roles,” said Julia, eyes glinting with playfulness as she slid one of the papers over.

Gina’s eyes widened at that, and for a lingering moment, all he could do was open her mouth pathetically before closing it again. Sure, she’d subtweeted Nini a few times, and they’d had the occasional exchange on twitter, but beyond that Gina could confidently say she had no intention whatsoever of working alongside her. 

“You’re making me star in a movie with the someone that seems hellbent on stealing all my roles? My best friend’s...” she trailed off with a dramatic groan, lowering her head to the table with a soft thud. 

She only remained like that for a few moments before raising her head again, gaze accusatory as it met Julia’s. 

Julia just gave an airy laugh, dismissing the words with a wave of her hand. “I think it’ll be good for you. Maybe you can pass on some of your... _acting wisdom._ ” 

“Ha,” she remarked, drily. “I don’t help anyone but myself. _Especially_ not Nini Roberts.” 

Julia carefully lifted a small stack of paper from the top of her pile, reaching out to grab a stapler as she regarded Gina. 

“I suppose there’s something else you should know, too. You guys are playing each other’s love interests.” 

With how quickly Julia had followed her first statement with the second, those words had almost felt like equivalent to ripping off a band-aid. Once again, Gina found herself opening and closing her mouth like a startled fish.

“Well,” she managed after a few long moments, exaggerating a sugary-sweet smile, “I don’t have any murderous urges, but I _definitely_ have the urge to turn that fan around so it blows your papers everywhere.”

“You wouldn’t,” Julia gasped, and Gina just rolled her eyes. 

The good thing was that she would be going to L.A. — she always found herself missing the city, bustling crowds and all. The bad thing was that she’d have to pretend to be in love with Nini Roberts. Or — in love with her character that is, but her face happened to be attached to that character. There was no way that Gina was refusing the offer either however, so she forcibly pushed any thoughts she had about Nini to the back of her mind and met Julia’s gaze again, face determined now. 

“So, are you in?” 

Gina nodded. “Like I’d say no to an opportunity to upstage her. Also, I’m pretty sure people would go crazy over this if they found out, and I’m not exactly opposed to that either.” 

“Great!” said Julia, all business again as she began flicking through her papers. “I’m gonna need you to fill in some things, though.”

“Favourite part of the job,” Gina grinned back, which had Julia shaking his head in amusement as she began placing more papers down in front of her. 

_She’d played love-interests plenty of times,_ Gina reminded herself as they began going through forms. Pretending to fall in love with other people wasn’t a new thing by any means. So why did Nini Roberts have to be any different? 

This was the thought she maintained in her head on the drive home, the air conditioner blasting at its highest setting. It was early afternoon, with the sun still high up in the sky, and Gina had planned on running an errand or two. Looking back at the papers she had piled up in the backseat, however, she decided she’d just call it a day and focus on learning what she could about the movie she was shooting, as well as figuring out if she could stay with anyone in L.A. before accepting the hotel room Julia had offered her.

The streets were quiet, as if the heat had lulled the town into a gentle sleep, and the roads that usually had at least some congestion seemed almost fully clear as she headed towards her shared apartment. It was a quaint-looking thing on the outskirts of town that she and Carlos had managed to score not long after they’d turned 18. It made sense at the time, and it still did, but she’d be lying if she said that remaining in this town wasn’t a hindrance to her career at the best of times. 

The air felt thick with heat as she stepped out, taking a moment to adjust to the sudden temperature change. Despite looking cute with its red brick and it’s well-kept garden (courtesy of Amber), their house didn’t exactly have the best insulation, or windows that opened, so walking in through the front door wasn’t exactly a relief. 

Gina pulled her shirt over his head as she passed by her room and tossed it onto her bed, headed straight towards the bathroom for a shower. She winced slightly as she entered, noticing the cracks in the tiles that seemed to get more severe each time she checked. Making a mental note to look into someone that could fix it for them, she stepped into the shower and, like the crazy person Carlos always told her she was, turned on the cold tap. 

Ten minutes later, she felt somewhat more refreshed, settling down on the couch with the papers Julia had given her.

With a soft meow, Chérie jumped up onto the couch beside her and soft paws sank down into the cushions as she made her way over to her. Gina couldn’t help but grin, holding out an arm so that she could curl up underneath it.

Then, she allowed her gaze to return to the character descriptions she’d been reading. Julia had given her one for Nini’s character (Clover) and her own character (Grace.) 

**_Clover_** **,** _good-natured, with a willingness to help others despite his clumsiness. Finds excitement in small things that others may not notice. Whilst not necessarily possessing an abundance of physical strength, has mastered the art of pick-pocketing._

 **_Grace,_ ** _presents as stoic, often relying on physicality rather than words, but kind-hearted to those she cares about. Often depends upon sarcasm and dark humour to deflect_

“Huh,” she nodded, glancing down at the black and white cat curled up against her, “this sounds like it’ll be fun.” 

Chérie briefly opened her eyes and looked up, her little face somehow looking unimpressed, and Gina laughed.

“Fine, I’ll shut up.” 

Sitting there on that couch, with sunlight pouring in through the windows and gently warming the cushions beside her, the realisation of what exactly she was getting herself into hit all at once. An uneasy pit began to form in her stomach as she thought back to the person she once was, the person Nini probably _still_ thought she was. 

She understood why, of courses he did, but after spending so much time carefully rebuilding herself she’d prefer not to have those bricks come crashing down the moment she looked at Nini. Seeing her through a screen was one thing after all, but in real life? For six whole _months?_ Knowing too, the past she shared with Ricky? 

She’d given up a lot of things since living with Carlos. Alcohol. Parties. Her friends. Or at least — the people she thought were her friends. And, well...she was working on the cigarettes. Just thinking about them almost made her want to grab the pack she’d left on the counter and allow the warm smoke to seep into her lungs, her clothes, her thoughts. Everything. She’d come to enjoy the lightheadedness that smoke would bring with it, and even now it still felt like a comforting old friend she could visit in the dark of night when things became too much.

She allowed these thoughts to swirl around in his head for a moment, before pushing them away again. For now, anyway. 

A few more minutes of skimming went by, then Gina was giving Chérie an apologetic pat on the head as she pulled her phone from her pocket, opening up her contacts. She had to scroll for a moment or two before she found him, tapping on his name.

Gina couldn’t help but laugh slightly at how quickly his voice flooded the room - Ricky seriously had his phone on him at all times of the day. 

“Gina!” 

She placed her papers on the dark coffee table in front of her with an amused smile. 

“Ricky! How are things?”

Some shuffling came from the other end of the line that sounded strangely like static, before Ricky’s voice returned again, clearer now.

“Great! How are things in ghost town?”

Gina let out a huff. “Things are good here, but it’s hot as heck. By _our_ standards that is, before you get all ‘you think _that’s_ hot?’ on me.” 

She could practically _hear_ Ricky's grin. 

“Well, I’m saying it anyway and you can’t stop me, it’s like _ten_ whole degrees hotter in L.A. than it is over there, you wimp.“ 

“Okay, let’s get you over here during winter then!” said Gina, startling Chérie slightly. She gave her an apologetic look and began running her hand down her back in an attempt to soothe her.

“I’ve literally _lived_ there during winter!” came Ricky’s incredulous response.

“Touché,” she admitted, sighing slightly. 

Ricky let out a soft laugh. “Is that Chérie purring in the background or am I going crazy?” 

“It’s her,” Gina confirmed, giving the cat a fond look, “she has a habit of purring so loud it sounds like a mini engine.” 

“I miss her,” Ricky sighed, and Gina felt her smile soften. She was just 19 when her friend had moved to L.A. Despite seeing him on occasion, after being inseparable for so long she still felt his missing presence wherever she went, like a lingering heaviness in the air that never seemed to go away. There was just something about Ricky’s infectious laugh that couldn’t be replaced. 

“She misses you too,” she promised, after a moment’s delay.

Silence fell for a second or two. Gina tried to fill her tone with enthusiasm when she spoke up again, as if compensating for the moment of sadness.

“Anyway! I was actually kind of, maybe calling to ask a small favour. Well — it’s kind of a big favour.” 

“Hit me,” Ricky responded, the smile obvious in his voice now. 

“Well, I just had a meeting with Julia and found out that she landed me a role in an action movie that’s being shot in L.A. I looked up the location and it’s not too far from your place—“

Before she could continue, Ricky was interrupting her with a laugh.

“Of course you can stay here! When do they start shooting?” 

A grin spread across Gina’s face. “In about a month, I think. The flights have already been paid for.” 

They spoke for a few more minutes, excitedly exchanging ideas about all the things they could get up to together while Gina was over there. She really _did_ miss Ricky, more than she’d ever admit, and knowing he’d be there during this shoot somehow made everything about it seem more bearable. She felt lighter at that moment than she had in a long time, and for once the ever-present urge to turn to her cigarettes faded completely. 

“Oh my god, Ricky! I totally forgot to tell you this and it may or may not be confidential but whatever. Nini Roberts is acting in this movie too, and I’m playing her _love interest_.” 

Ricky snorted at that, before bursting into laughter. “ _You? You’re_ playing her love interest? I mean — I guess that’s a pretty good business move. Who wouldn’t wanna see that go down?”

Gina shook her head, still running her hands softly along Chérie’s fur as she watched the sky outside. 

“My acting abilities will be put to the test, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” she said, and Ricky just laughed again.

“Come on, she’s really not that bad.” 

“I never said she was,” Gina defended, “but she’s cost me an unforgivable amount of money at this point. Besides, shouldn’t you be more weirded out? She’s your ex.” 

“You’ve probably cost her a lot of money too,” Ricky pointed out, “and...I mean, I guess so, but _I’m_ not the one that has to see her. Stuff has changed since...”

“You realised you’re crushing majorly on Big Red?” Gina supplied, and she heard what almost sounded like a gasp. 

“It’s not that big of a crush!” 

“Whatever you say, Ricky.” 

~ 

Gina watched as the smoke she exhaled swirled up into the cool evening air, fading away almost as soon as it had appeared. She placed one hand down on the cool concrete beneath her, looking out at their darkened driveway. Streetlamps illuminated the road beyond it, and the soft sounds of chirping crickets filled the silence that had settled around their house. Being summer, the gusting bouts of wind weren’t overly cold as they passed by her, rustling the varying plants that filled their garden. 

She heard the door creak open hesitantly, and suddenly there was warm light flooding the porch where she sat. Feeling exposed, she lowered her cigarette and watched as Carlos stepped out. Her heart sank ever so slightly as his gaze travelled from her, to the cigarette in her hand, then back to her again. It was subtle, but she noticed his face fall with disappointment. 

He lingered there a moment longer, before sighing and settling down on the concrete beside her. Gina swallowed, a bitter feeling rising up in her throat as she squished the cigarette and placed it gingerly in the ashtray beside her.

“Stressed?” Carlos asked eventually, not meeting her eye. 

She just shrugged her shoulders, feeling a wave of sudden dizziness wash over her. “Mom called.” 

A brief wince crossed his face. Gina let out a sigh as she looked over the cigarette she left unfinished, regret coiling up inside of her. It surprised her, even after all these years, how fast her mom was able to sour her mood. All it took now was one measly phone call, and suddenly it was like she'd been transported to their childhood home, that same fear clawing away at her throat.

“What’d she say?” he asked, voice gentle. 

“The usual,” she responded with a bitter laugh, “about ten different questions about when I’m getting a boyfriend. How big my next movie is. What _Nini Roberts_ is doing and whether she’s beaten me for a role again.” 

Carlos nodded, and for a moment neither of them spoke. There was a reason they usually didn’t mention her mom after all.

“Carlos, I...” she paused for a moment, throat feeling tight all of a sudden, “I think she knows. Deep down, at least. I don’t know why she’d be asking this much about a boyfriend otherwise.” 

He moved closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder. “You don’t know that.” 

Gina wrapped an arm around him, shaking her head slightly. That was the problem. She _didn’t_ know, and every phone call with her mom felt like it’d finally be the one where she loses it and asks her about it.

“But what if she does? I know it’s stupid, but I really _don’t_ want her to know. Not yet.” 

She felt, rather than saw, Carlos shake his head. A particularly strong gust of wind had Gina shivering slightly, drawing him in closer. 

She felt sick all of a sudden, thinking about what her mom would say if she ever found out. They lived in the same small town after all, so there was no way they wouldn’t cross paths at some point. There wouldn’t be much she could do to escape her mom’s burning looks of disapproval.

“It’s not stupid. But...you can’t keep thinking about that, okay? She can’t read your mind, and she’ll never know for sure unless you decide to tell her.”

Gina just nodded at that, unable to find the words to respond. He was right, after all. She knew that deep down. 

It was almost midnight by the time Gina collapsed down onto her bed, covers drawn up to her waist as she began scrolling through her phone. Moonlight filtered in through her blinds, illuminating the small bookshelf by her desk in strips. The white pages of her books almost seemed silvery underneath it.

She stopped her mindless scrolling when she saw something that Nini had tweeted, just minutes prior. It was obscure, and to the average person it probably didn’t mean much, but it had Gina scoffing softly to herself. 

_guys i received the worst news of my life today. ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!_

Knowing that it was likely Nini had received the same news as she had that day, she smiled and decided to quote the tweet. 

_quit being dramatic and go to bed :)_

She didn’t think much of the response as she rolled over in an attempt to actually get some sleep, until a few minutes later her phone was vibrating with a notification. She switched it to silent before opening twitter again.

_quit telling me what to do and go to bed :)_

Then, she received a DM. Light emanated from the screen, illuminating her face amongst the darkness as she sat up against the headboard, the smallest of smiles on her lips.

 **_nini roberts:_** _you know about ‘down to ashes’ right???_

 **_gina porter:_ ** _nice way of greeting someone :) and yes. i do._

 **_nini roberts:_** _okay well hello! so you know our characters end up dating??_

 **_gina porter:_** _yeah, i know that part too. isn’t this gonna be fun?_

 **_nini roberts:_ ** _so much fun!_

 **_gina porter:_** _i didn’t mean that_

 **_nini roberts:_ ** _i_ _didn’t either :)_

Gina was still smiling slightly as she set her phone back down, manoeuvring herself into a lying position. 

Somehow, that exchange had been what he needed to get her mom off her mind, and it only took about 10 minutes for her to drift into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/comments appreciated as always if you liked the chapter !!


	3. A Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nini arrives at her hotel and has her first table-read. She comes up with a proposal for Gina, who’s acting less-than-friendly towards her. She gets a welcome visitor after her first day of shooting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m currently on holiday so I’m uploading this with my phone, I hope the formatting is still okay! 
> 
> No major trigger warnings for this chapter. I hope you enjoy! <3

_August 9th, 2019_

Nini wished more than anything that she could say she had Gina Porter all figured out. In her eyes, Gina had seemingly watching her highschool days go by in a blur of dance routines and theatre by day, to a haze of parties and cigarette smoke by night. Now however, she was an actress that seemed to grow more and more popular with each day. She wished that her only impression of Gina  wasn’t  on that summer’s night years ago, when she’d caught a glimpse of her right before leaving their town for good. 

But she couldn’t do _any_ of that , not even in the slightest. 

The past few years for her had consisted of burning down every single bridge that tied her to that town, and now all of sudden there was Gina Porter, waltzing right in and reminding her of all the things her life had been. She thought she’d be able to do it, but as she watched the sun set with each day, bringing them nearer to their first table read, she felt nervousness began to creep up on her, like the shadows that were closing in on her now as dusk approached.

Their DM’s a month back had been one thing after all, but she had no clue how a face-to-face interaction would go over.

Moonlight seeped in through the cracks of her hotel room blinds, falling onto the bed covers in narrow strips. The darkness seemed to be pressing up against her somehow, closing her in, reminding her of how alone she was in that room. It wasn’t usually a problem for her, so he wasn’t exactly sure what had changed this time, but she got up anyway and padded over to flick the lights on again. 

She relaxed slightly. 

It was a modern hotel room. 4 stars if she could remember correctly, with sleek white tiles, soft carpet and a large bed pushed up against the wall, which was adorned by beach photography. A TV sat opposite her bed, and beside it, a counter separated the main space from her kitchenette, which contained a small stove and a minifridge. Her agent had arranged for her to stay here during the shoot, after deciding that it would be too much of a hassle each day to make the journey from her shared apartment to their set and back.

She moved back over to the bed, settling down against the headboard and reading over the email again. It was from the second assistant director, and it contained everything she needed to know about the location and the scenes they’d be shooting on their first day. A once over confirmed that she’d be sharing all of her scenes with Gina, and with a scoff, she remembered that this really shouldn’t have come as a surprise given that they were supposed to be  _best friends._

Eventually, when even the light couldn’t keep her loneliness at bay, she decided that she’d give Kourtney and Seb a call. It went through a few rings before their smiling faces appeared on screen, and instantly, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. 

“Nini! How’s the hotel?” asked Seb, as he playfully took the phone away from Kourtney. 

She could barely contain a smile of her own as she leaned back against her pillows. 

“It’s good,” she told them, “but I wish you guys were here.” 

Seb, who had been purposely holding the phone out of Kourtney’s reach, paused immediately at hearing those words. His expression softened. 

“Hey, we’ll come visit you! There’s a queen-sized bed, right? I bet we could all squeeze on.” 

Nini laughed. “We could try,” she answered, albeit uncertainly. She glanced about at the bed, trying to assess whether three people could really fit on it. 

“Maybe we could bring the air mattress with us,” Kourtney piped up, “it never gets used anyway.” 

Nini just shook her head though, conscious of the fact that both of her friends had places to be during the day anyway. 

“No it’s okay, that sounds like a hassle,” she said, “I’ll be fine! I just need some adjusting.” 

Seb’s expression still seemed hesitant at those words, but he gave a nod anyway. 

“So when do you have your table-read?” 

Nini let out a sigh. “Tomorrow.” 

“Oh! So I guess you’ll be meeting Gina pretty soon then,” Seb said. 

“Don’t remind me. I am  _seriously_ not ready to have my head ripped off. Or...high-kicked off.”

“She does seem kind of scary,” Seb agreed, “personally I’d be terrified—“ he cut himself off when he noticed the look Kourtney was directing at him.

“I’m sure it won’t be too bad, just stand your ground! You’re not high-school Nini anymore, you’re badass independent Nini. Remember?” said Kourtney, to which Seb gave a nod.

“And look on the bright side! You might meet someone.” 

“Well I mean, that’s kind of a given.” 

“I mean someone romantic. Someone you can  date . You know, those things? Dates? I know you’re not used to them—“

“Um, excuse me, I am  _so_ used to dates. Do you even know how many romantic comedies I’ve watched? Too many.” 

Seb just raised an eyebrow at that, letting out an amused huff. 

“It is totally up to Nini when she decides to date. Who even says she needs a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend,” said Kourtney, and Nini gave her friend a smile. 

“Exactly! See? She gets it.” 

Deep down, despite Kourtney’s words, Nini knew that Seb had somewhat of a point. She barely had any romantic experience beyond kissing Ricky, and that turned out...well...not  great by any means. She’d kissed people on screen, sure, but that was worlds away, even  _galaxies_ away, from kissing someone she actually liked. 

“Have you memorised your lines?” 

Nini had almost forgotten she was still on the call until Kourtney’s voice piped up again, snapping her out of her daze. 

“Only back-to-front,” she answered, to which Seb laughed. 

“Of course,” he nodded, before pausing, a certain hesitancy there now. “But for real, do you think things will be okay with Gina? On-screen, I mean?” 

Nini fell quiet for a moment. If she wanted things to run smoothly, then she supposed that things would  have  to work out between her and Gina.

“I hope so. I mean...she seems kind of mean, and I don’t even wanna  _know_ how many roles she’s taken from me, but...I’m sure we could keep things professional.” 

Seb gave her a playful smile. “Just flash her one of your adorable little smiles! That’ll get her.”

“For some reason, I don’t think adorable little smiles will work on Gina.”

Seb shrugged. “You never know.” 

Nini wanted to protest for a moment, but she decided against it. 

“I guess not,” she ended up agreeing, because really, after all these years, it was hard to determine  who exactly Gina Porter would be. 

~

A smug, effortlessly perfect know-it-all. That’s what Nini decided upon as she watched Gina approach, each step somehow more graceful than the last. She had a calculated smile painted across her face, one as cold as it was uninviting. They were outside the building, with strangers sweeping by as they went about their days. Nini was frozen, feet stuck to the floor by some sort of unknown force, one that tightened its grip the closer Gina came. 

“Hi.” 

Nini didn’t like to draw conclusions. But the intensity of Gina’s gaze  _had_ to have been equivalent to about a thousand suns. 

“Hi,” she managed in return, holding out a hand. 

Gina looked down at the hand, reaching out slowly to shake it. The message Nini got from that was clear; almost as clear as the blue sky that spanned above them. 

_You’re not Nini from highschool. You’re not Nini from highschool. You’re not Nini from highschool._

“Have you looked over some of the lines already?” she asked casually, as they both approached the building, which looked rather bleak against the bright blue sky.

Gina glanced over at that, lips curving up into a momentary smile. Nini shoved her hands in her pockets. 

“I’ve memorised them,” Gina said simply, and Nini couldn’t help a scoff. 

“All of them?” 

“Well, yeah.” 

Nini pushed down the annoyance she could feel swelling up inside of her, gaze trained firmly ahead now. 

“Cool. That’s good.” 

They passed by the front counter and reached the elevator, Gina pressing the button to go up and watching as it lit up red. 

“Now I have a question for you,” said Gina as she turned around on the spot, smile scarily bright all of a sudden, more of a  beam than anything.

Nini just stared, before giving a slight nod. 

“What’s the weather like down there?” 

The metal elevator doors chose that moment to rumble apart, and Gina stepped back into the elevator, smile not dropping even for a moment. Nini let out a huff of disbelief, stepping in after her. 

“Okay, first of all, 5 foot 5 is definitely  not short. And I’m pretty sure I read somehow that you’re about two feet taller than me? Barely anything in the grand scheme of—“ 

“Did you go out of your way to search for my height?” 

Gina had an eyebrow raised now, clearly in amusement, and Nini fumbled for a moment, feeling oddly exposed. 

“What? No! I—I see you everywhere on Twitter, I just sort of...picked things up.” 

A loud ding sounded before Gina could respond, and soon enough the metal doors were parting again. Gina was still smiling, and Nini was honestly wondering if her face was beginning to hurt at all from it. 

“Don’t trust anything unless it’s from me.”

“Okay, then...how tall are you?” 

“5 foot 8.” 

With that, Gina exited the elevator, and Nini was stuck in place for a moment before snapping herself out of it and following along. 

“Oh, so 3 inches then. Big deal!” 

Gina pushed open the door to what seemed like a spacious office meeting room, with a large table placed in the centre of it. The windows were large, allowing sunlight to flood right in. Various people already filled the seats, and it took Nini a moment to find the name of her character, situated right by the assistant director, and hastily take her seat. 

Gina sat down beside her, gaze icy. She gave a sarcastic smile, one that Gina immediately reciprocated. 

“Okay! I think that’s all of us, so I guess we’ll start with some quick introductions,” the assistant director piped up, and Nini tried hard to focus on him rather than the girl sitting beside her, and the absolute  _hell_ shooting this film might prove to be. 

When it came time for reading, Nini had to steel herself. She couldn’t exactly pinpoint  why she was nervous, she just knew that she  was , and it was a heavy sort of nervousness that created a deep pit in her stomach. They came to a particular scene that the assistant director laid out for them, explaining that its purpose was to build the romantic tension between Clover and Grace. The others listened attentively, whilst Nini couldn’t keep from side-eyeing Gina. She looked perfectly content with what she was hearing, nodding thoughtfully when she was supposed to, chipping in with her own thoughts here and there. Nini had to take a few deep breathes to calm herself down. 

Her voice was pitchy even to her own ears when she began to speak. She cleared her throat, throwing an apologetic look about the room, before beginning again, attempting to keep her breathes even. Eventually the pressing stares, particular that of Gina’s, became less heavy. Her nerves had reduced down into something more bearable; even if she couldn’t look Gina in the eye once as she read. 

The room seemed to drop back down to a normal temperature when the assistant director approached her during their break with a smile, telling her she’d read well once she hit her stride. Nini wasn’t sure if it was from the relief that washed over her, or the sudden gust of cool air from the air conditioner as she approached the coffee machines, or a combination of both. Either way, she was grateful. 

“So you’ve been doing well.” 

She whirled around at that, a jolt of shock moving through her. 

“Gina. Hey. Um...I guess you could say that,” said Nini, letting out a breath as she stirred some sugar into her coffee. 

Gina’s smile was rehearsed. It almost seemed as though a sheet of ice had settled over her face, perfectly blocking what she was  really feeling from the outside world. For a moment, Nini couldn’t help but think about what Gina would look like when that sheet of ice was melted. 

“Yeah. Ricky showed me your Buzzfeed puppy  video. You know you’ve made it big when you get one of those.” 

Nini’s grip tightened instinctively on the counter beside her. “Oh. You’re friends with Ricky, still? How is he?” 

“I’m surprised you care.” 

Nini felt something twist painfully inside her chest.  _Okay. That one hurt._

“Of course I do. Just because...I mean, I  _always_ did!” 

Gina’s expression remained infuriatingly neutral. She was leaning up against the counter, sipping away at her coffee, dark hair lit up by the sun. To any on-looker, she could’ve been discussing the weather. 

She pressed her lips together. “He’s fine.” 

“That’s good,” said Nini, nodding. 

Gina looked at her for a moment longer. Nini let out a small, frustrated sigh. 

“No offence, but we’re playing each other’s love interests. This is professional stuff. Shouldn’t we keep personal things out of it? I apologised to Ricky and he apologised to me. It was complicated but we ended up on fine terms. You’re kind of stuck with me, and...it’d be nice if you didn’t hate me. At the very least.”

Gina’s gaze swept over her for a moment. Then, she was pursing her lips again.

“Trust me. I’ll have no problem keeping things professional.” 

She flashed a smile, one that had Nini rolling her eyes, before heading back toward the crowd to mingle. Nini watched for a moment, before reverting to her phone. 

Throughout the course of the day, Nini came to the unfortunate realisation that Gina was rather good at what she did, and in part almost  deserved to walk around with the air she did. During one particularly emotional scene, she had one of their fellow castmates tearing up, and the assistant director giving her a beaming smile once she’d finished. 

By the time their second break rolled around, she also came to the realisation that Gina was rather good at small talk. Nini dreaded it, and she was honestly baffled as to how Gina could mingle and converse with their castmates as though it was nothing, all smiles and airy laughter. 

It was about 7 pm when they all wrapped up, the directors giving some last instructions about their first day of filming. Nini was out of there as quick as possible, bag slung over her shoulder as she rushed for the elevator and headed down towards the main lobby. The sky had become a gradient of reds and oranges outside, and a few cool gusts of wind blew her hair about as she walked, eager to get back to her hotel. She was almost,  _almost_ rounding the corner when she heard a voice call out to her. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Nini!” 

Nini whirled around, almost dropping her bag in the process. Gina stood by the entrance of the building, a smile on her face from what she could tell. 

“Um. Yeah! See you then!” she called back, before turning around again, feeling even  more confused about who exactly Gina Porter was.

~ 

_August 10th, 2019_

As the sun began to climb the sky, rising in a pool of reds and oranges, Nini set off on her walk to set. She’d considered driving, but one glance at the congestion that was already clogging up the roads was enough to turn her away from that idea. The air was already beginning to warm, with the promise of a burning summer’s day. Everything became a blur of cars, signs and noises as she zoned out, occasionally glancing down at her phone to check google maps. 

Her thoughts wandered back to the various scenes her and Gina shared in the script, and an involuntary groan left her when she spotted a faraway yellow sign, with words she could only make out as ‘Down to Ashes.’ 

It was relatively easy to locate base camp once she’d entered the site, and with some asking around she managed to find the second assistant director. He was stood outside of one of the trailers, looking somehow frazzled with his clipboard in hand. His hair was in disarray, and his glasses were slightly askew, but the smile on his lips as he greeted Nini seemed friendly enough. 

The trailers were a striking white, bright against the clear blue sky. The sun continued to rise with each minute that passed, and the air was already beginning to feel heavy with heat.

“You can stay in your trailer for now — I’ve already signed you in. We’ll call you out for makeup and hair soon.” 

Nini nodded, very used to playing the waiting game at this point in her acting career. She glanced around one more time towards the other trailers, where various people seemed to be rushing between them, before approaching the door, footsteps clanging loudly against the metal. 

It was spacious inside, with a cushy-looking couch and soft carpet spanning the floor. There was a TV on the wall, which was a plain white in comparison to all of the deep red furniture. Nini smiled slightly as she approached the table, where a few contracts were laid down for her to sign. 

She got that out of the way first, eyes skimming over the fine print as she did so. A glance over at her wardrobe confirmed that her clothes for that day were already hanging up. She placed her bag down on the table, flicking her curtains shut with the intent to change, but before she could even approach the wardrobe there was a sharp knock at her door. 

Eyebrows furrowed now with confusion, she walked over hesitantly and pushed it open. 

There, smiling up at her, was Gina Porter. Nini almost wanted to laugh, but she decided on folding her arms over her chest and offering a polite smile.

“Hey up there,” said Gina. 

“Hey. Can I help you?” 

“Nope. I just wanted to double-check this one’s yours.” 

“Okay then. Well, here I am! Was that all?” 

Gina’s smile widened at that, and Nini was honestly beginning to think that she was only maintaining this excessive niceness to annoy her. 

She didn’t wait for a response after that, choosing instead to pull the door shut. A few beats passed, and she heard footsteps outside, heading towards the trailer beside her. Before Nini could even really think about what she was doing, she was opening up the door again and stepping outside into the heat, calling Gina’s name. 

“Wait — Gina!” 

Gina froze, before slowly turning around, expression smoothed out into one of uncharacteristic shock. 

“What is it?” 

“I...have a proposal,” she explained, stepping down onto the first stair.

Gina regarded her for a moment, eyes narrowed sceptically, before making her way back over to the stairs.

“Uh...do you wanna come in? It’s kind of hot out here.”

Gina raised an eyebrow. “Not really.” 

“Please?” 

Silence. 

Then, Gina was letting out a huff and ascending the stairs, Nini hastily stepping aside to let her in. 

The door closed with a gentle thud, muffling the chatter that filled the trailers opposite them. She turned around to face Nini, giving a small nod to indicate she was listening. 

“Okay,” Nini began, “so...not to state the obvious, but we’re kind of playing two best friends in love.” 

Gina nodded slightly, arms folded defensively over her chest. “That doesn’t have to extend to our off-screen selves for us to do a good job.” 

“Does it look like I’m setting up a candlelit dinner?” asked Nini, and Gina just her a disbelieving look. 

“Whatever. Just get to the proposal.” 

Nini shifted her weight from one foot to the other, that same nervousness from the table-read beginning to bubble up to the surface. 

“For the sake of professionalism,” she said, placing a casual hand on the table beside her, “I say we pretend this is our first time meeting one another.” 

Gina’s eyebrows shot up at that, and Nini tried hard to keep her gaze firm. 

She really wouldn’t be able to make it through this shoot with all of her preconceived ideas about Gina swirling constantly around in her head, distracting her entirely what she was supposed to be doing there. Surely Gina could acknowledge that too. 

_Right?_

Gina remained quiet a moment longer, eyes still narrowed. Nini was going to forget about the idea entirely when Gina dropped her arms from where they’d been crossed.

“Okay,” she answered, taking in a deep breath, “let’s do it.” 

Nini could feel a shocked smile tugging at her lips. She took a step forward and extended a hand. 

“Okay then. Hi, I’m Nini Roberts.” 

Gina looked at the hand as though it had somehow hurt her. “I didn’t agree to be friendly, Nini. Just professional.” 

“Handshakes are about as professional as it gets,” said Nini, “come on. For me?” 

Gina rolled her eyes, before accepting the handshake. “That wasn’t for you. If you don’t get in my way on set, we’ll have no problems.” 

“Roger that.” 

She gave Nini a strange look as she approached the door. “Uh, yeah. Sure. Roger that.” 

Soon enough she was stepping back out, closing the door gently behind her. Nini collapsed down onto her couch with a huff, still (for whatever reason) smiling slightly.

It was when the last remnants of light in the sky had faded that Nini was finally falling down onto her bed, burying her face into the pillows. Through her window, purples were fading into deep blues, and there still wasn’t a cloud to be seen anywhere. There was silence in her room, apart from the running fridge, and beyond that only the sounds of heavy traffic seeped in through the cracks of her window. 

She had a song playing softly beside her head as she lay there, entirely too exhausted to move. Getting back into the swing of things had always been hard for her, and she could feel the familiar heaviness in her muscles that came with beginning a new production. 

Drowsiness began to wash over her, threatening to pull her under, when she was jolted out of her daze by rapid knocking at her door. Sighing, she managed to lift herself off the bed with some effort and drag herself over to the door, schooling the best  _‘i’m not in the mood’_ expression she possibly could as she threw it open.

A smile lit up her exhausted face in an instant upon seeing Seb there grinning back at her, and she practically attacked the boy with a hug. His makeup looked glamorous as it always did, and Nini didn’t think she’d ever been so relieved to see anyone in her life. If she’d been tired before, she certainly wasn’t now. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, smiling as she ushered him inside.

“Well,” he began, placing a bag down on the counter, “Kourtney is staying with a friend, and my theatre is pretty much a halfway point between our house and your hotel. So I thought I’d crash here for the night!”

Nini flicked on the lights, their reflections appearing in the window due to the darkness outside, and hastily kicked aside a pair of jeans. It’d been about five days since she’d last seen Seb, which may not have seemed drastic to most people but for  them,  it was basically the end of the world. 

“Oh, and I come bearing gifts!” he added, rummaging around in his bag for a moment. 

Seb placed two iced coffees down on the counter, and Nini couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. 

“You know me so well,” she sighed. 

He flashed her another smile at that, shrugging off his fluffy pink coat. “I may have to borrow a shirt though, this was kind of a last-minute decision,” he added, and Nini nodded.

“I’ll see what I’ve got.” 

Then, as though they’d been magically transported back to fifth grade, the pair decided upon building a makeshift fort once they’d changed into comfortable clothes. Darkness surrounded them, kept at bay only by the small light they’d taken in with them, and the pair took to scavenging around for YouTube videos to watch. It had become somewhat of a tradition for them, not diminished in the slightest when they began to grow up, and Nini was grateful for it. 

“So, do you have any news from set today?” Seb asked her, and even through the darkness Nini could see the way his eyes sparkled with excitement. 

She laughed. “I mean, it’s only been a day, so there’s not much.”

He just arched an eyebrow at her though, as though what he was trying to suggest was obvious. Nini just shrugged.

“There’s Gina,” he prompted, when she didn’t say anything more, “and the fact that you guys were like...rivals before this. Did anything happen?” 

Nini supposed something  did  happen between them, with that whole makeshift truce Gina hadn’t seemed overly thrilled about. 

“Well, I made a... _truce_ ...with her. We’re gonna be professional from now on.” 

“Really?” Seb asked, rather incredulously. 

Nini nodded. “So now we’re...civil?” 

“I guess that’s good,” he nodded, looking thoughtful, “isn’t it like...at least a little bit awkward, though?” 

Nini thought back to their conversation in the trailer, and their subsequent encounters on set. With their history, it was almost inevitable that there would be tension. It clouded their every interaction like some sort of smoke, Nini unable to get the Gina she’d once known at school out of her head. Of course, she used that term loosely —  _know_ — she’d never really known Gina, but she’d always found her somewhat puzzling. Popular yet reserved, hesitancy evident in every word she used to speak, as though scared of revealing too much.

Seb cleared his throat, and she gave him a sheepish smile. 

“Um, yeah. Yeah it is awkward,” she answered, laughing slightly, “honestly, I’m just glad she hasn’t ripped my head off yet.” 

“There’s still time,” Seb joked.

“You have a point,” she nodded, returning his grin. “Oh, also! We didn’t even film any one-on-one scenes between us, but we still had to have these tense moments in front of the group, right? So now, I think I genuinely know Gina’s  exact  eye colour from having to stare so much.” 

Seb let out an amused huff. “You know, I bet there like a billion people out there who would  pay to look Gina Porter in the eyes for hours on end.” 

“Well, I’m definitely not one of those people.”

“Me neither. But that might have something to do with the fact that I’m gay.” 

“Maybe,” she agreed, smiling. “But whatever! I’ll try to keep things breezy between us...what’s going on with you?” 

“Dear Nini, I am  _so_ glad you asked.“ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we have it! I hope you liked it, if you did kudos/comments are appreciated as always. 
> 
> You can find me on twitter @/skaterboybowen !!


	4. Friends Without The Strings Attached

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nini has another proposal for Gina that she really isn't sure about. Ricky is a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have nothing to say for myself. Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> TW: brief allusions to alcoholism

_August 14th, 2019_

Gina felt tired right down to her bones as she entered Ricky’s apartment, her heart-shaped sunglasses masking the darkness that was faintly visible beneath her eyes. Their working days were long, and as she much as she loved shooting action movies, there was a significant amount of work involved compared to the romance movies she’d gotten used to over the past year. 

The corridor behind her was dark, filled only by the fading light outside, and she couldn’t help but let out an involuntary sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her with a gentle thud. 

Ricky’s apartment was surprisingly well-kept, given that he could barely keep his locker clean while they’d been in school together. It was about as tidy as a cluttered apartment could be, with all of its guitars and its various comic book collections, practically overflowing the bookshelves. A few pride flags were hung up on the walls, as well as a large photo of them posing with Carlos that Gina had teased him for when he’d initially hung it up ( _Ricky? Sentimental?_ ) but privately found cute.

Now that she thought about it, Ricky’s ‘workroom’ (read: the soundproof room he used to produce songs) was the messiest out of all of them, which seem to suggest that either Ricky only cared about keeping certain parts of his house clean or that Ricky spent way too much time in that room alone, meaning Gina _really_ needed to get that boy out of the house more. 

She heard footsteps padding along the hallway, and soon enough Ricky was emerging with his usual grin. He watched as Gina toed her shoes off and approached the counter, placing down her sunglasses and her keys.

“How was work, honey?” he teased, earning him an exasperated glare. 

He moved forward, plucking up Gina’s sunglasses. “I don’t know why you insist on wearing these things everywhere,” he said, sliding them on. 

“They’re a perfect combination of cute and ‘don’t approach me or else’,” Gina defended, as she moved towards the sink. 

Somehow, she’d forgotten how hard acting could be on her voice, between talking to various crew members and actually shooting scenes, she could already feel it beginning to deteriorate.

“Any news from set?” asked Ricky, jumping up to sit on the counter. 

Gina glanced back at him as she grabbed a glass, a nearly imperceptible smile on her face. 

“Not really, unless you wanna know the exact colour of Nini Roberts’ eyes. _And_ what they look like when several specific types of light hit them.”

She leaned back against the counter, eyes narrowing derisively at the amusement written over Ricky‘s face. _He should not be this happy over discussing his ex,_ she mused, _although since coming to terms with his feelings for Big Red, it seemed nothing could dampen his mood._

“Did you shoot a romantic scene?” he teased, and Gina let out a long-suffering sigh. 

“Yeah. My character had to show her character how to use some of the weapons they found together. Cue the ‘oops I tripped over but you caught me and now we’re staring longingly into each other’s eyes for way too long’ moment. The director wasn’t happy with the lighting so they kept having to change it.”

“Aw, fun!” cooed Ricky, narrowly dodging Gina’s swat at his shoulder. 

“ _Not_ when you’re trying to be professional. Staying in character was fine but humouring her when she tried to make small talk between shoots was hell.”

“What was that? The great Gina Porter stopped so low as to make _small talk?_ ”

Gina knew he was joking, but she gave a dramatic eye roll regardless. “I couldn’t have the crew thinking we had problems.” 

It was true — mostly. Their plan to remain professional had worked well enough over the past few days, and miraculously, no major disagreements had broken out between them.

Gina was beginning to find however that her subtle attempts to get on Nini’s nerves were met being less pushback. She was smiling along serenely rather than spluttering her way through a comeback and it was becoming downright _aggravating_. 

As Ricky began to busy himself in the kitchen, Gina let out a gasp. 

“Actually - there _is_ some news,” she said, which had Ricky perking up slightly with interest. “The director ‘recommended’ that Nini and I start hanging out more outside of working hours. She said, and I quote, ‘you guys are doing a great job, but I think this could make being best friends on screen feel more natural.’ 

Ricky lasted all of two seconds before he was bursting out with laughter, eyes alight with amusement. Gina let out a huff, folding her arms tightly over her chest to convey her indignance.

“I’m sorry, but _come_ on! I’m trying to imagine you hanging out with Nini as friends and I just _can’t_.”

“Is that a challenge?” Gina asked him, an eyebrow raised in question, and Ricky seemed to calm down the slightest amount, offering him a grin.

“No, but I’m guessing you’re gonna take it as one because it’s well... _you._ ” 

Gina opened her mouth to respond, but an incoming call had her freezing in her tracks. Both of them looked towards her phone and Ricky’s expression immediately fell, the earlier amusement in his expression extinguished as fast as it had appeared. Gina’s mouth felt dry all of a sudden. 

She approached hesitantly, picking it up from the counter and looking down blankly at the name that lit up her screen. It was her dad. 

Of course it was. 

Ricky dropped what he was doing immediately, offering her a hesitant smile. “You don’t have to pick up, right?” 

Gina shook her head though, knowing well that she’d only make things worse by not picking up.

“I’ll be right back,” she said simply, hurrying out of the kitchen. Ricky just watched, eyebrows furrowed slightly, as Gina disappeared down the hallway. 

She picked up the call as she went, being greeted immediately by the muffled sound of her dad’s voice. 

“Gina! I was just calling to check in. How’s the movie going?” 

Gina swallowed hard as she shut the spare bedroom door behind her, flicking on the lights and sitting stiffly down on the edge of her bed. It was dark outside, but not completely pitch black. Faintly, stars were beginning to burn against dark blue. 

“Good,” she answered simply. 

“What’s your role this time?” 

Gina began to feel panic claw at her throat. A familiar sense of burning shame began to form in her stomach as she thought about the character she was playing, and how disgusted her dad would be if he knew the truth. He’d see it eventually, Gina knew that, she’d known that since accepting the role, but she wasn’t ready by any means to admit to it yet. Not _now_. 

“A girl who’s friends with the main character. She’s into um...fighting. Weapons. That kind of thing."

Her dad paused for a moment, and Gina could practically _hear_ the grin on his face when he spoke next. 

“Oh, interesting. Have you spoken to any of the guys on set yet? Are they nice?” 

Gina nodded, despite knowing her dad couldn’t see her. “Yeah, they’re great.” 

“Any you’re interested in?” 

“No,” she answered, stomach turning with unease. “I’m too busy for relationships, dad.” 

“You keep saying that, but I’m getting worried, Gina. I mean, at your age you should’ve at least had one boyfriend.” 

Gina sucked in a deep breath, feeling short of oxygen all of a sudden. “It’s nothing. I’m just not interested right now.” 

A pause. She could feel her heart soaring now, thumping away so rapidly she was scared her dad would be able to hear it. 

“Who are you staying with, again?” 

“Ricky,” she answered firmly, feeling even more on edge now. Suddenly, those cigarettes she’d thrown away upon arrival ( _Ricky would never approve_ ) were beginning to sound appealing.

“Right. Ricky. The guitar guy?“

“Yeah. That’s him.” 

“Hm. You couldn’t get a hotel? 

Gina hesitated for a moment, swallowing hard. Confidence usually came easy to her, but it was moments like these that made her feel as though she’d been forcibly shoved back to her teenage years. She knew what her dad thought of Ricky. She knew _why_ too, at least partially. 

“No. I couldn’t. It’s getting late dad, I should probably go.” 

She heard a heavy sigh from the other end, and a sudden pang of guilt filled her chest. 

“Okay. Could you tell your mother that-“ 

“I’m not your messenger,” she interrupted, voice wavering slightly, “goodnight, dad. Thanks for calling.” 

Gina remained perfectly still for a few long moments after hanging up, a wave of exhaustion and sadness crashing down over her all at once. Eventually, she managed to drag herself up from the bed again with some effort and walk back into the living room.

Ricky looked up from his phone immediately, a slight wince on his face that Gina couldn’t help but mirror. She hated seeing Ricky try to tip-toe around her. 

“Bad?” 

“Better than usual, actually,” she told him with a resigned shrug, “but still not great.”

Ricky scooted over the moment Gina sat down, which didn’t take much considering how small the couch was, and wound his arms around her.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, but that only made Ricky’s grip on her tighten — he knew her scarily well at this point in their friendship. 

After a beat or two she allowed some of the tension in her shoulders to relax, resting her head gently against Ricky’s. “I don’t know why I bother sometimes. I mean — I’m an adult now and this is just...getting sad.” 

She felt more than saw Ricky nod. “I know.” 

Gina opened her mouth to continue, but she immediately closed it again when her eyes caught sight of the glass bottles that were stood atop the kitchen counter now. Ricky followed her gaze, and a guilty look crossed his face. 

“I realised I still had them laying around so I emptied them,” he explained cautiously. 

Gina glanced down at him, letting out a sigh. “Ricky—“

“ _Gina,_ ” he interrupted, injecting some firmness into his tone now, “I’m not leaving alcohol lying around while you’re here. It was dumb of me not to realise earlier.” 

She couldn’t see Ricky’s face, but she knew almost exactly which expression of worry would be painted across it — the one he usually reserved for her — and something in her broke slightly. She ended up resigning with another sigh.

“Okay.” 

“Good,” said Ricky.

Another beat or so passed before Ricky was jumping up from the couch with a startlingly bright smile. Gina looked up at him in confusion, hesitantly taking his outstretched hand. 

“What is it?” 

“I was gonna order takeout, but now I have a better idea.” 

A reluctant smile began to tug at Gina’s lips. She’d come to realise over the years that Ricky’s ideas were either really (accidentally) great or _really_ terrible. There was never an in-between when it came to him.

“A better idea?” she hummed, raising a playful eyebrow. 

Ricky walked over to the front door, tugging Gina’s coat from the coat rack and holding it out for her. 

“We’re gonna hit the town.”

~

L.A. was a busy place. 

Of course, this wasn’t a new discovery for Gina, but travelling to the heart of the city definitely reminded her of it. When they’d finally found a place to park, the pair began roaming the streets. Everything was a blur of flashing lights, storefronts, cars, and people —trying to focus on every sound and every sight at once was virtually impossible. Palm trees swayed with the evening breeze, every single noise blended into one loud rumble, and after spending a few months in her quaint home town it all felt somewhat overwhelming.

She loved it. She loved the anonymity it afforded her. 

There was something about city nightlife that couldn’t quite be held to any other kind of excitement. She was buzzing with energy, and the enthusiasm seemed to be spreading to Ricky too because he usually spent every moment he could complaining about how crowded the city was. Now, however, there was a grin painted across his face, illuminated by lights of varying colours, keeping the shadows at bay. 

Gina spotted an ice cream vendor not so far away, and without thinking she began tugging Ricky towards it. 

“Do you want some?” Gina asked as she pulled out her wallet and joined the small queue.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Ricky asked her seriously. 

Gina took that to mean yes, breaking out into a smile before glancing up towards the options they had. The man working there was friendly, suggesting their new flavour to both of them, and Gina shrugged before accepted the offer. 

Soon enough, the pair were walking down the crowded streets of L.A. again, rocky road ice creams in hand.

“Is this our dinner?” asked Ricky, voice carried slightly by the breeze.

Gina smiled. “If you want it to be.” 

Despite the burning heat that often accompanied summer days in L.A., she had always loved summer evenings, when the heat gave way to a pleasant, humming warmth. Everything felt alive, as though an underlying spark of electricity filled the air around them. 

“Let’s run,” Gina said suddenly, looking over at Ricky.

Before he could even respond she was taking off, making sure to manoeuvre herself away from the crowds. Ricky lingered there for a moment, shaking his head in bewilderment, before following. Storefronts passed by in a blur, a familiar burning sensation began to fill her chest. 

She eventually came to a stop, completely out of breath, but relieved that she could expend some of her pent-up energy. Ricky was beside her in an instant, expression lit up by laughter.

“Impressive for someone who’s holed up inside all day,” she remarked. 

“Yeah, well, not all of us are crazy good at dancing,” he said, giving Gina’s shoulder a playful shove.

Ricky’s smile softened slightly as they continued down the sidewalk. 

“I missed you.”

Gina couldn’t do anything apart from smile right back and drape an arm over her friend’s shoulder. If she thought about the comment too much she might end up with tears blurring her vision. 

They fell into easy conversation for a while, interrupted only when Gina’s phone lit up with a notification. She glanced down casually, the pale light illuminating her face, before double-taking. 

It was a DM from Nini. 

Ricky was looking down at her phone too now, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Aw, it’s your favourite person,” he teased, earning himself a huff and a playful swat. 

She opened Twitter, ignoring all of her incoming DM’s and tapping on Nini’s username. 

**_nini roberts:_ ** _okayyy is that you standing outside of a burger joint or am i officially going crazy??_

Gina frowned at that, turning around hurriedly to face the opposite side of the street. Ricky’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion, and he stepped forward to stand beside her. 

Sure enough, there was Nini, waving at her amongst the chaos, face lit up blue by the flashing sign above her head. Gina let out a disbelieving huff, turning to Ricky with her arms folded over her chest. 

“It’s her,” she said simply. 

“I know,” Ricky smiled, “I see her.” 

“We’re going,” said Gina, tugging at his arm, but Ricky remained rooted to the spot. 

Gina wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her up when Ricky, the _idiot_ , began waving Nini over. She shook his head frantically, hoping to god that Nini would see her reluctance and just leave it. For a fleeting moment Gina thought that her prayers had miraculously been heard because she kept walking, seemingly headed in the opposite direction she’d come from. It took her all of two seconds to figure out that Nini was _actually_ headed towards the nearby crossing. 

Goddammit. 

Gina wasn’t particularly in the mood to try and keep up a conversation neither of them wanted, and it was frankly crazy to her that Nini was managing to display _any_ enthusiasm at all. There was no need for professionalism now that they were off set, and she very much doubted her ability to maintain a front of niceness. 

“I’m gonna kill you,” she told her friend seriously, and much to her chagrin, Ricky just laughed. 

“I’m helping you!” he exclaimed, voice raised slightly to be heard over the crowds, “didn’t the director say you two should hang out off set?” 

Gina just groaned, resisting slightly as Ricky tugged her towards the burger joint, away from the streams of people. After a few minutes, Nini and a girl Gina didn’t recognise were approaching them both, and Gina’s urge to snap felt all-consuming. 

“Hey!” Ricky greeted, all smiles and enthusiasm. Gina directed a death glare at him, before schooling a pleasant expression and turning to the pair. 

“Hey, Nini. Hey...” 

“Kourtney,” the girl nodded.

“Kourtney,” she confirmed, extending a hand. “I’m Gina and this is Ricky. I really like your denim jacket.”

She regarded her for a moment, as though calculating something in her head, before accepting the handshake. 

“Thanks! I like your shirt,” she returned, glancing down at the rainbow that was printed across it. Gina couldn’t help but smile. 

Nini was glancing between Gina and Ricky rather than focusing on the exchange, and something about her expression seemed awkward. Gina couldn’t quite pinpoint it, and she was well aware that she could’ve just been reading it wrong, so she decided against calling her up on it. Instead, she offered her a stiff wave and a tight-lipped smile. 

“Hey. Long time no see.” 

Nini laughed slightly, returning the wave. “Hey. What’s it been now? Like a few hours?” 

Ricky shot Gina an amused glance, which earned him another death glare. 

“So what are you guys doing out here?” Nini asked them, gaze seemingly unable to remain on Ricky for too long. 

“Just wandering,” he answered with a shrug. “We were thinking of grabbing dinner.” 

Kourtney gave them both a smile, eyes lingering on Ricky, clearly trying to gauge the tension between him and Nini, as well as the tension between Gina and Nini. Needless to say, the tension was so thick that it felt like something material, blanketing them as they spoke. 

“Well, maybe we could all grab drinks or something? Nini and I were headed to a bar not too far from here anyway, I’m sure they have food there.” 

The smile immediately slipped from Ricky’s face. He glanced over at Gina, whose usual mask of cool indifference had cracked slightly with concern.

“Um — I actually don’t really drink,“ he lied quickly, glancing back at the burger joint they were standing in front of, “and we were kind of planning on getting something from here. You guys are welcome to join us if you want though!”

Kourtney’s eyebrows raised slightly at Ricky’s obvious stumbling, and that same sceptical look from before crossed her face. 

She exchanged a glance with Nini, who shrugged her shoulders and nodded, before turning back to the pair. “Sure, why not?” 

Gina scoffed slightly to herself. There were plenty of reasons why not but she resolved to keep up her usual air of cool, calm and collected rather than launching into them.

The noise from outside was immediately muffled when the glass door closed behind them. It was a homely looking place, with rustic furnishing, and brick spanning the walls. Lamps hung from the ceiling, bathing each table in warm light. 

Ricky was the first to approach the man that was stood there, an automatic smile appearing on his lips.

“Hey, do you guys happen to have any spare tables?”

“Absolutely! Would that be a table for four people?” 

He glanced back towards Kourtney, and they somehow seemed to have a brief conversation through facial expressions and nods alone. She raised her eyebrows, exchanging an amused glance with Nini as Ricky turned back to the man.

“Um, actually, would two tables for two people be okay?” 

Gina’s mouth fell open in rare shock, and from the lack of surprise on Kourtney’s face she could only assume they’d somehow managed to agree upon that decision via facial expressions. 

Nini gave her friend an accusatory glare.

“You guys need to hang out more, remember?” was all she said, smiling as she followed Ricky.

Gina and Nini were lead to another table soon enough, right in the corner of the restaurant. 

“We’re splitting the bill, just to be clear,” said Gina, to which Nini gave an amused huff. 

“Thanks for clarifying.” 

Silence fell between them as they scanned the menus, made even more painful by the chattering that she could hear coming from other tables.

“I think we need a new arrangement,” Nini said suddenly, looking up from her menu.

Gina smirked slightly, not looking up from her own. “Keep dreaming, Roberts. Professionalism is more than enough for me.” 

Nini rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth that had Gina feeling somewhat confused. 

“It’s more than enough for me too, but I don’t think it’s enough for Hansen.” 

_“_ And since _when_ should we take suggestions to mean orders?” asked Gina, finally looking up from her menu, having deemed the conversation worthy of more attention.

Nini just sighed, burying her face in her hands. “Has anyone ever told you you’re impossible?” is what she managed to make out, and a pleased smile appeared on Gina’s face.

“I’m actually quite agreeable with the right people.”

“I guess _I’m_ not ‘the right people’ then?” 

“Good deduction.” 

“Will you at least just...hear me out? Please?” 

Nini was looking somewhat desperate now, and as much as Gina would’ve been happy to refuse again, she ended up giving in with a slight roll of her eyes. 

“Okay. Fine.” 

Nini’s eyes lit up. Gina had the briefest of thoughts that her smiles weren’t completely intolerable, especially when directed at her. 

“Okay. I know neither of us are thrilled about the idea of being actual friends, but I still think we can be at least sort of friendly. We can be friends without the strings attached.

Gina could practically feel Nini’s eyes burning into her as she dropped her gaze to the table, turning the words over in her head. Deep down she was uneasy about forming _any_ kind of friendship with Nini, but frustratingly enough, she couldn’t pinpoint why exactly that was — it seemed to be a combination of various factors. It was the kind of unease that settled deep in the pit of her stomach, not intense enough to be a nuisance but enough to be noticeable at the worst of times. She didn’t appreciate it one bit. 

“What do you mean by ‘without the strings attached?,” she asked sceptically, jolting Nini out of her slight daze. From the look on her face, she seemed delighted that Gina had even considered the offer. 

“I mean...” she hesitated for a moment, biting gently at her bottom lip, “I mean that we can do friend things, like hang out and go places, but without all the emotional stuff.” 

Gina’s eyes swept over her for a moment, narrowed, scrutinising carefully. Nini shifted nervously in her chair. 

_God. Why was she about to say yes?_

“Fine,” she said, miraculously able to swallow her pride for a moment, “but that’s how it stays. Friends without the emotional stuff.” 

“Great!” said Nini, clapping her hands together. “I should also mention that people that are um...on _friendly_ terms generally aren’t on a last name basis.” 

Gina scoffed. “Forget it, Roberts.” 

Nini raised her arms in surrender. “I was just putting it out there. I think it would make things just the slightest bit easier.” 

“Do you?” she challenged, leaning forward slightly, “or do you just think it’ll bring us closer somehow?” 

Nini leaned back against her seat, her smile nearly imperceptible. “It’s just a name. I don’t think names bring people closer.” 

Gina considered this for a moment. Then, she couldn’t help the smallest of laughs. 

“Fine. Whatever. It’s a deal...Nini.” 

Nini’s smile turned rapidly into a beam, but she seemed to decide against saying anything. She just looked back down at her menu, with a slight air of smugness that Gina tried very hard to ignore. 

Once they’d ordered Gina eventually herself glancing about the restaurant absent-mindedly, noticing Ricky and Kourtney at a table on the opposite side of the room. They were both laughing, sharing photos on their phones, and Gina had the brief thought that them becoming friends didn’t bode well for the _friends without the strings attached_ arrangement her and Nini currently shared. 

_Maybe this didn’t have to be the worst thing in the world._

_Or maybe it did._

_Who knows?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friends without the strings attached ;) 
> 
> As always kudos and comments are appreciated, I will be trying to update more frequently from now on <3
> 
> You can find me on twitter (@prcterfilms) or on tumblr (@sarahqwe), feel free to come chat!

**Author's Note:**

> Quick sidenote: this prologue is short, but the chapters will be longer. This also had a darker tone to it because it's from Nini's past, but the chapters themselves will (mostly) be a bit lighter.
> 
> Kudos/comments are appreciated if you're interested so far!! <3
> 
> You can find me on twitter @skaterboybowen


End file.
